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Month: November 2024

Do You Need Anything From Target?

Published on November 29, 2024

When I was hanging out with my sister the other day, I asked her if there was anything she needed from Target.

Without missing a beat she replied, “Matthew… I could always go to Target—Target tells me what I need.”

And after a good laugh, we went. And I was the one who ended up getting more than I needed and my sister was the one who ended up getting distracted by an intimate phone call and left without a single purchase.

This felt like a timely story to share because behind every joke there is some truth.

And during the Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, Holiday Sale Sale SALE Season—remember: every place you go and wherever it is you choose to spend your time… you’re going to get told what you need.

Over and over and over again and in the most convincing of fashions.

And so you have a couple of thoughts to consider:

  • Do you really want to go looking for things you don’t need? Or might you be better off brainstorming from afar?
  • Are there alternate gifts you could consider giving that maybe aren’t purchased from major retail stores?
  • If you do end up getting dragged somewhere you know you’re probably going to spend more than you should—is there an intimate phone call you could take instead (I’m only half joking about this idea) or something distractionary you could do when you’re most vulnerable?

Lessons From An 8k

Published on November 29, 2024

Today, I helped a student run her first 8k.

She had only ever run a mile before it.

Some of the things I told her throughout the run:

  • “Slow down.” The instinct right from the start was to go at a 40 meter dash pace (aka: sprint). The adrenaline, the excitement, the anxiety always makes you want to go faster than the long distance pace should warrant. To go further; slow down.
  • “Yes, you can.” Whenever you push into new territory of “hard,” your mind is going to tell you that you “can’t.” Mainly because it has never been there before and it isn’t used to the tired that this new “hard” is facilitating. But, we’re capable of much, much more than we think. And if we can change what we think we can do—we’ll very likely do exactly that. The mind will always give up before the body.
  • “Do what works.“ I recommended a slow, steady pace throughout the run. But, it wasn’t working for her. She decided that short runs followed by short walks—interval style—was better. She’d do a little run. Walk until she couldn’t see me anymore, then run again to catch up. And it’s exactly that strategy that got her past the finish line.

The most important thing I said to her, though, was to be nothing but proud of how she performed. Because while it took longer than she wanted it to take, nothing is more important than the fact that she showed up and tried her best.

Thankful For Legs And Grit

Published on November 27, 2024

For my workout yesterday, I did heavy weight lifting with a leg focus.

Today, I did a kick-a-thon at my martial arts school where I did 1,600 kicks in one class.

Tomorrow, I plan on doing the YMCA’s annual 8k Turkey Trot fundraiser run.

The day after that, I plan on playing pickup games of football, maybe even basketball, with friends and co-workers. And right after that, I plan on participating in a door-to-door food drive where flyers are dropped off at a few hundred houses asking them to leave non-perishable food on their porch that can then be picked back up at a later time and donated to our local food bank.

…That’s four pretty intense leg days in a row.

Why?

During a normal workout week, I would never do this. I would spread out the love and give my muscles a full 48ish hours to recover from one workout while I exercised other muscle groups.

But, every now and again… it’s good to push yourself.

…To do things that aren’t exactly rational to see what you are capable of doing.

Not necessarily to train the body (as I mentioned above, this probably isn’t super great for my body), but to train the mind.

Because “hard” in life is only in relation to the hardest things you remember going through and doing before.

And what you might find on the other side of something really hard… is days and weeks and maybe even months of increased “ease.”

Because if you can do THAT… what’s this one measly workout / challenge in comparison?

P.s. Happy Thanksgiving. Here’s a list of quotes and exercises to inspire gratitude and kindness :)

What I Learned From Reading A 970 Page Book

Published on November 26, 2024

Last week, I finished reading the longest book I’ve ever read.

It was 970 pages… and used a small font.

I say this because it’s something a younger me would always look out for and judge books by.

But, what I learned after having read this book is that those were awful, awful indicators as to whether or not a book should be read.

And what only added to my resistance of reading longer books with smaller fonts… was my goal of reading a certain number of books every year.

Knowing I was “5 books behind schedule” made me want to read short books with larger fonts so I could catch up… leading me to pick books based on superficial markers and not substance.

And so, no, I won’t reach my goal of reading 40 books this year… in fact, I’m going to end up being quite short of that.

But, it doesn’t matter. Because the whole point of goals is to give you a direction to drive towards… and I’d say, I’m driving towards what “40 books read this year” represents—much more so even than if I’d read a bunch of superficially chosen books and got to 45.

Don’t miss the forest for the trees.

P.s. The book I’m referring to above is Musashi—the classic samurai novel about the real exploits of the most famous swordsman. Would recommend.

Understanding and Aligning With Inertia

Published on November 25, 2024

Inertia is the natural tendency of objects in motion to stay in motion and objects at rest to stay at rest, unless a force causes the velocity to change.

Translated to human behavior, it begs the following questions:

  • Going from rest to motion will require a force… one that’s enough to get you up even when you’re sleepy… even when you’re feeling lazy… even when you don’t feel like it… what is that force for you? …Don’t know? This might be precisely why you aren’t producing / performing / living the way you want to be. Identify and cultivate your “force” and watch how your world changes.
  • There are more forces working against us than there are forces working with us. Starting with earthly laws such as gravity and friction and extending all the way to modern movement killers such as passive entertainment and social media—with plenty of other examples in between. What forces are actually working with us, though? What keeps us moving when everything else is trying to bring us to a halt? How can we better align with those fewer and more far between forces?
  • Going from motion to rest is easier than going from rest to motion. In other words, starting back up once you’ve stopped is harder than keeping momentum going throughout your day. How can you stack and align your tasks so that less energy is required overall? Figure this out and you’ll have more saved energy, which equals more life that can be spent for other (possibly more important) things.

Sell Me Your Memories

Published on November 24, 2024

Think about some of your favorite memories.

Now reflect on the following question: how much would you sell those memories for?

As in, how much would someone have to pay you to take that memory from your mind and have it as their own?

…If you’re anything like me, your answer(s) might help you realize just how great the ROI is on experiences invested in.

…And those plane tickets, hotel costs, and days off work suddenly might not feel as expensive.

P.s. ICYMI, you can see the best of what I posted to MoveMe Quotes last week, here.

A Life Lesson From Karaoke

Published on November 24, 2024

…It’s only awkward if you make it awkward by hesitating, holding back, and only going halfway in.

…Going all-in is the sure fire, fool-proof way to making it 100% the opposite of awkward—regardless of who you are, how you sound, what you look like, or how you move.

All-in is the secret ingredient to fulfilled experiences in life.